The movie "Insidious", directed by the infamous James Wan, is a surprisingly scary movie full of chills and creeps. Its a good film that will definitely cool you down in the hot summer with its scares.

This movie was HORRIBLE.... Not even made well the same "scary" music played every time it was going to be a scary part but it wasn't scary at all. If you enjoyed the movie Drag Me To Hell you will love this one we laughed a lot during the movie! Don't waste your time, I love scary movies and this one was far from scary .

I was expecting a lot from this movie. I read about it in Fangoria, I read the praising reviews and I figured it was from the same team that started the SAW franchise, which was back then with SAW I very fresh.
Over the first say half of the movie I thought my expectations were met. Insidious indeed delivered several chilling moments and a general malicious atmosphere. The pace is quicker than for example with Paranormal Activity while still not making it feel the ghostly moments are rushed.
But then with the second half starting the movie sadly spirals down to a below average Poltergeist clone.
What started as an almost perfect haunted house story quickly degrades into a badly executed dark fairy tale which from the concept might be able to scare a 10 year old, but is just boring for anyone who has seen more than 5 good horror movies of this sub-genre. Well, to be precise the last third is not only boring but also annoying since everything feels so cheap and rushed.
What a waste of potential.… Expand

I'll admit- I saw this movie with LOW expectations. I didn't expect to like it at all. Now that this has been said:

The first parts of the film were a bit rushed. Within twenty minutes, we have a "Three Months Later" card. Despite this, there were some genuinely creepy moments, with some good atmosphere and even a bit of tension. Still, these moments lacked any central focus, and generally felt unconnected and confusing. (Which may have been interesting if not for certain things that I'll mention later...)

By the second third of the movie, things REALLY went downhill. We are introduced to several characters in a short time (including a priest who has all of ONE line, if I remember correctly.) and rather quickly given an elaborate pseudoscience explanation for the issues at hand. (What's great about this is it turns the remainder of the film into flat-out comedy!) Things get very silly by the end, but the film doesn't seem to notice, treating even the most preposterous things as if they actually had the possibility of scaring people.

In its entirety, "Insidious" feels contrived, pretentious, and rushed.

To conclude: If you watch this for the horror, you will be sorely disappointed. If you watch it for the horrifying monsters who enjoy the musical stylings of Tiny Tim, you'll be one happy astral projector.… Expand

Not being a horror fan, I wasn't expecting much from this film. Really, I was expecting Paranormal Activity. I was pleasantly surprised. This doesn't break molds in the horror genre and uses a lot of cliches and music cues that are more annoying than scary, but it still was creepy, which a movie hasn't done to me since I was a kid. There was a pair of characters that add comic relief to the film, relieving any possible tension, that come in halfway through, and though I enjoyed them, in my opinion, they don't fit, but I've heard others say they were glad they were there. As usual with James Wan, there is a nod to Billy the puppet (from Saw, James Wan's first major horror film) in the background of one of the scenes.… Expand

It is easily one of the scariest movies I have ever seen in my life, but it features weak performances and just a weak premise and to add that a really questionable ending. I give this movie 59%.

There are a ton of great scares in this movie. It literaly keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to about 3/4ths of the way through. The ending moves a little towards the goofy but that doesnt keep it from being one of the best original horror ideas in YEARS. If your tired of remakes and want something a bit new check this one out.

This is a scary movie that actually gets the job done, and does it well. It seems that most horror movies today can't do that. When plot, time consistency (and in some points, the acting) are concerned, this is not a great movie by any means. But this movie does provide plenty of genuine scares and chills for the viewer. There is also sustained tension, an ominous tone, and some very haunting images throughout it's running time. This film gets an 8 for truly scaring me (and I normally don't get scared at many movies). If you are willing to suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half, you will have a very good time with Insidious.… Expand

Regardless of a few notable flaws, Insidious is all about old-fashioned thrills and chills. Pros: Brilliantly directed and edited; some old-fashioned haunted house elements; very scary and very chilling, yet humorous and even a bit campy; introduces us to one of the scariest images in a horror film to date. Cons: Some flawed writing and plot development; poorly acted; some choppy special effects.

Holy S**t is not two words I use often, but i found myself repeating them over and over again at this movie. It is not usual that a horror film's trailer makes me evacuate my bowels, but this one certainly did. The movie is jumpy and scary throughout but at some points, the story seemed silly. But this doesn't matter when you are trembling at the scary moment that you know is coming. The creators of this movie have out done themselves with this movie. If you think Paranormal Activity was bad, just WAIT until you see this.… Expand

Quite possibly the most enjoyable comedy I have seen in a while. There were multiple times I held back from laughing out loud, and several times I uttered "What?". The only movement that this movie made me do was to cover my ears from the overly loud shrills. In the end I enjoyed this movie, if only because the whole time I was hearing commentary from Crow and Tom Servo.

OMG, this movie let me down. After hearing its praises, and as a huge horror movie fan. I couldn't wait to see this, and the first half of the movie met and went beyond my expectations. But this was just the first half, the second half contradicts the plot of the movie and makes the whole concept ridiculous. The first half of the movie is an excellent movie about a haunting, whereas the second half is a paranormal search into the ghost's world. Without giving anything away, I want to give you an example of how much this plot contradicts and stretches the movie's plot. Imagine your watching 'The Notebook' and midway through the movie, it turns into 'Mortal Kombat,' pretty drastic change in pacing and plot right?? Well that's what Insidious felt like. The Good: The first half of the movie delivers scares and creeps, movie has a great spooky environment, decent enough acting (nothing to brag about). The Bad: Unnecessary plot twist which blew the simple but effective concept way out of proportion, and plot holes. The first half of this film was amazing, a definite 10, but it just went on a downward's spiral from there… Expand

A great scare flick that brings us back to the golden age of haunted house horror films with it's own twits.
Writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan do a spectacular job at creating a familiar yet original experience for viewers and generate some frightening memorable scares. Overall, Insidious is well written, directed, shot and acted, a great solid horror flick.

From the images floating around the internet, I had extremely high hopes for this one. What started out as a truly uneasy environment full of suspense and genuine fear, later turned into a finale that had me laughing at the very "monsters" themselves. The plot has been done a hundred time before, and some of the acting is a bit... "off". While the first hour is actually scary and uncomfortable to watch, it quickly goes from long, drawn out scenes of the protagonist walking through the house at night trying to find where all the noises keep coming from, to a "Hey audience!!! Look at this monster!!! It's so scary!! Be scared!!! WooOOOooo!!"

To be honest, if it had ended 30 minutes earlier than it did, it would have been a decent horror flick in itself, but the plot gets, for the lack of a better word, "cheesy", and feeble attempts at comic relief make it all the less frightful.

This is the kind of thing you watch with your friends, but start chit-chatting half way through the "scares".… Expand

It's a fun movie - if you see it in the theater (and yes, the theater is a must IF you decide to see this) - and there are plenty of jump out of your skin moments, but it's not as creepy as the Paranormal Activity films. And the very significant humor element provides perhaps too much relief in the scheme of things. I'm a little surprised it's a PG-13 movie, even with the F-bomb (I thought that was all it took - "Student Bodies" -> "I'd just like to take this opportunity to say, "F*** You."), and the violence. But then the MPAA is about as consistent as the NCAA on these things. Wilson and Byrne are terrific, as is the old lady - the ghost whisperer, for lack of a better term. I just didn't leave the theater extremely scared like I did after the PA films. And the truly freaky "ghost" looked a little bit too much like Darth Maul for my liking. Made me think of Jar Jar Binks when I shouldn't have.… Expand

Though this may be business as usual for the horror genre, Insidious definitely does what it sets out to do. And that's to scare the unholy bejeezus out of you. It has been a very long time since I've actually been frightened by a movie, but Insidious pulls it off with pristine precision. Filled with a handful of striking images, Insidious will lurk in the back of your mind for days. Despite a lackluster conclusion, this is one horror movie you owe yourself to see.… Expand

While it is no horror masterpiece, "Insidious" is very entertaining and engaging. The thing that stuck out to me the most was some really beautiful cinematography, which I am not used to seeing in horror films. Kudos need to be given to the cinematographer and director of the film - very beautiful shots. Having beautiful cinematography and thrills and scares is not quite enough to have a very good film, though. There are some things in the film that just make no sense, and are definite loop-holes that the director and screenplay writers missed. The acting is not necessarily the best - the dialogue, especially, feels rather artificial at times, especially when the wife and husband talk. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed the film quite a lot because of an interesting story (despite the holes in it), beautiful cinematography, and some good scary scenes! 6/10… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For God's sake! Get out! That's the tagline sprawled across the movie poster for Stuart Rosenberg's "The Amityville Horror", the 1979 shocker about the haunted goings-on at George and Kathy Lutz's Long Island residence, adapted from the supposed non-fiction bestseller by Jay Anson. The promotional admonition has the unintentional effect of drawing a bead on that most annoying of all haunted house movie tropes, which is the irrationally slow realization on the ghost-afflicted victims' part that they don't actually have to coexist with the growing menace. They can, in fact, leave, right after the first unexplained door slam. The Lutzs, in particular, are especially obstinate in their steadfast refusal to flee like normal people, holding down the fort as they do til the last possible moment, even though the daughter communicates with a dead girl. Also, George's demonic possession is confused for the flu, and the flies attack like piranhas. Best of all, nobody seems adequately fazed by the portal to hell that the family dog first sniffs out in the basement. The Dutch Colonial literally has to ooze blood before George and Kathy come to their senses and finally abdicate themselves from the supernatural plot of land. To be fair, if the characters in horror movies could take a hint, the film would be over in a matter of minutes. In a sense, characters in horror movies need to act as if they have brain damage. Characters like the Lutzs have to put themselves in harm's way for the sake of running time. But the best of the bunch, like Oren Peli's "Paranormal Activity" and Tobe Hooper's "Poltergeist", go through the trouble of providing the terrorized people with a bonafide reason to stay in the house, an incentive for the emotional violence that they'll have to endure during their long, drawn-out ordeal with the unexplained phenomena. As a result, their dealing with the malevolent presence feels more organic to the story, and not merely a screenwriter's contrivance. For instance, in "Paranormal Activity", the young couple puts up with the disturbances in their troubled home because Micah is shooting a documentary film. Differing from other like-minded genre fare, for the amateur filmmaker, it's a bad day if nothing out of the ordinary happens. It's in Micah's best interest to be scared. (Not so much, Katie's.) The Steven Spielberg-produced "Poltergeist", the movie that "Insidious" most resembles, initially anyway, comes equipped with a practical basis for keeping Steve and Diane Freeling(Craig T. Nelson & JoBeth Williams) in their suburban dwelling. The house eats their daughter. They're not going anywhere until their tract home regurgitates Carol Anne(Heather O'Rourke). Homologous in cause, Josh(Patrick Wilson) and Renai(Rose Byrne) aren't going anywhere either, since their son Dalton(Ty Simpkins) needs to find his way back to the body that he transcended through astral projection. Smarter than most genre films of its ilk, the Lamberts leave their thought-to-be haunted home(their first house) midway through the narrative, since Renai, having witnessed enough phantoms to last her a lifetime, doesn't wait for things to get worse. Even better, Josh believes her, foregoing the patented cliche of the skeptic telling the eyewitness that in no certain terms that the person who cries ghost is crazy. In the time-honored tradition of the haunted house movie, by the time the unconverted sees the menace for himself, it's too late, and both eyewitness and former skeptic run for their lives. In "Insidious", just like the Tobe Hooper film, a parent has to retrieve the child from the netherworld, a domestic-based interior universe. (In retrospect, the husband in "Poltergeist" is kind of a p*ssy for not insisting harder that he should be the one to go retrieve Carol Anne. The wife could have worked the rope.) Ironically, when Josh and Renai change addresses, they are unknowingly abandoning their son, since Dalton's floating self is on the "further" side of the house, similar to the Freeling girl's situation. Being smart becomes a wrong move. Being dumb would have kept them closer to their wandering son. On his own, Dalton would have never found the new house had Josh not gone looking for him, when "Insidious" visualizes what "Poltergeist" only suggests: a dark underworld, a purgatory-like crawl space that traps children. Mick Jones of The Clash once asked, "Should I Stay or Should I Go," and in "Insidious", this reasonably scary exercise in genre proves that there's no right move in a horror movie, just like how a nightmare should be.… Expand

Good to see a genuinly scary movie that didn't had to revert to use gore as a shock tactic. Watching a movie a second time will also allow you to pick up subtle bits and pieces that you may have missed the first time. For instance I saw a boy standing in the corner of the camera shot as one of the protagonists walked past that I didn't see the first time round and it scared the bejesus out of me. Like most scary movies the budget doesn't seem to be out of this world and the final few scenes look a tad corny. But overall very scary movi… Expand

Very scary, and a really good story, I thought. To be honest, I could've done without the Egon Spengler characters and Insidious 2 is clearly signposted, but it was a great, creepy movie.

For a modern horror, the scares were pretty good. The plot was a bit.... silly, transitions from scene to scene were confusing and some of the acting was a bit wooden, but god damn- some bits had the whole cinema screaming. Except me of course

Surprisingly an impressive horror film from the good people that brought us Saw and Paranormal Activity.The sequences of terror created in such a low budget movie($1,500,000)to be exact are outstanding!Why can't all horror movies be made like this?The acting was also impressive and performances from people we know like Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne also stand out.This was actually the scariest thing I've seen since Paranormal Activity 2(which makes sense because this movie is from some of the makers.)If you're looking for a good horror movie,rent Insidious.You won't regret it.Because the thing that makes this film so special is that it's half scary shock horror,half whimsical ghostly Haunted Mansion-like horror.Summing up,I highly recommend this to all horror fans or anyone looking for a good scare!… Expand

Going into Insidious, I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was by the makers of Saw and I'm not a big Saw guy so I was nervous that it might focus on blood to scare instead of suspense. I was wrong. It was a great, suspenseful movie that relied on real scares. Even the final act was good. A must watch for horror fans

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Not sure what this movie is? Well it's a fairly new movie, talked up to be very scary, and...it actually lived up to expectations. Insidious has got to be one of the most original movies, of this genre, that I've seen in a while, also a pretty scary one to boot.

Briefly, the plot is of a family who moves into a new house, one of their son succumbs to a "coma" and then weird ghosts appear. Now I know I said this movie was original and that plot line doesn't some so...original. But, in order to preserve suspense for those of you who go out to see it I won't reveal the end twists which bring on the uniqueness. I will say that there is more that meets the eye and should give this a chance if you find yourself watching it and thinking it's another stale horror flick.

Scariness factor, I did find myself a little jumpy a few times throughout the movie, which is very good considering I don't usually scare that easily. Also the whole mood of the movie was pretty creepy, through the score, the one song played over and over, little things that you may catch out of the corner of your eye, etc.

Insidious was advertised as one of the scariest movies of this year and... I think it's right.… Expand

I've not seen many movies as dumb as Insidious in my entire life. That MAY be an exaggeration, considering all the positive things I heard about it, but that doesn't make all that much of a difference.

The movie was predictable, insipid, and silly and just really shoddily done. The acting is atrocious from most of the cast, especially the father. It's as if the writers pulled together several hundred ghostly anecdotes, scary pictures that have been floating around the internet for years, horror story tropes, etc. and somehow created a movie out of it.

The only aspect of the movie that I CAN respect is something that I just complained about: It is silly, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. There are some things included that aren't in every horror story such as the "tip-toe through the tulips" theme song (those who have seen it know what I mean) and the two paranormal detectives and their gadgets. Those were the only parts even slightly entertaining or enjoyable.

Rental, at best, if there's absolutely nothing else on netflix or redbox you're interested in.… Expand

Absolutely solid horror film. The horror movie genre is a very "hit or miss" catergorie and with this one, they "Hit." If you have the chance give this one a look. I would describe this one like a mix of Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity (The first one). Some parts were kind of goofy which is why I dropped it down from an 8 to a 7 but still solid. Paranormal ingenuity is were this one lands with a fresh idea not yet used in any movie thus far. Give this one a chance if you are into horror flicks. 7/10.… Expand

Insidious is an absolutely terrifying movie. All these critics and random people who are saying it sucked didn't see this movie. Perfect scare moments which occur just after the point when you think something's gonna happen are quite prevalent, and the storyline itself is awesome. I saw this movie in an EMPTY movie theater, by myself, and it was the first horror film to truly terrify me in many a year. I've been raised in a household where the favored genre was horror, and so I've slowly become desensitized to most horror movies. But this one seriously freaked me out.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...and if you want a bit more of a scare...go alone...>:D… Expand

This is a superb horror film. James wan makes fims that have familiar elements from the genre but he gives them a unique flavour with the use of harsh, punchy string music to accompany the shocks and some brilliantly imaginative imagery. the horror in this film is subtle at times and then very intense at others. James Wan is an inspired director that doesn't hold back. You're either gonna accept his vision and feel the terror, or reject it - at which point it becomes comedic, hence some of the low scores. For me he's a true auteur, up there with Argento. I love old school horror, and this delivers for me.… Expand

Definitely a must watch as Insidious goes "boss hogging" through Horror Street. The storyline itself is redundant, but Insidious does it its job right by frightening us pretty good. The horror genre hasn't been able to evolve, but Insidious came inches to it.

The movie totally looses itself in caricature and satire of the genre poorly developed after more than a hour projection with the film allegedly trying to look serious, and then descends toward the ridiculous. Quite poorly drafted, lost, silly. An attempt to look like Poltergeist, and when they realized that it wouldnâ

This is one of my favorite horror movies in recent memory. The second act brought this from set-up to full on scary. The third act took this to a place I have seen in only a couple of other horror films. As soon as you feel like this movie is predictable, they take it to new heights. Great actors through out, and great directing. I am not a huge fan of the Saw franchise. The first Saw movie was something new and exciting everything after that, not so much. James Wan won me over with this. I can't wait to watch this a few more times. I think it will hold up to repeat viewings.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "From the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw" Oh boy what else you can expect after two movies showing 90 minutes of static camera, random opening doors -cause we have a paranormal activity hun- and 6 worthless continuations of Saw (yes actually 1st one was kinda decent)... simply nothing ! Interesting but typical begging with overused baby monitor scene that can gave u couple of goose bumps (those who went to see movie will know what I'm talking about) with hilarious I repeat HILARIOUS scenes including" man with a fire on his face" Personally I **** laughed like a little kid, when I saw this dude looking like its Trick-or-treating time costume on Halloween... save yourself couple of bucks and If u wanna get something positive out of that topic go and buy a good book.… Expand

Excellent by modern horror film standards, but as a ghost movie it lacks the performances from the actors required to make the events that take place that bit more believable. But all in all, a brilliant rip-off of Paranormal Activity that is sure to become one of the more worthwhile entries in the horror genre of recent years. The scares were effective but to my distaste were pretty much all jump scares, a technique that I feel is very overused and cliche. To make a horror film work, in my eyes, the main components needed are tone, mood and above all atmosphere. This film packs plenty of those but they become less effective because of the damn jump scares. Far more intelligently creepy scenes could have been thought of.… Expand

No movie has ever scared me as much as this one did!!! If you like horror movies, this is a must see!! Insidious is the new Poltergeist. Get ready for a scare!!

Overall definitely lacks in parts that it could have been creepy , some of the acting feels low budget. Even with all this disappointing flaws , it makes nice triumphs .

Anyone, and I mean, anyone who did not like this movie is a jerk. Or at least is desensitized. This was the best horror flick I have seen in years. Though I am surprised it came from the makers of **** Paranormal Activity. for my in depth review visit www.beesbadmoviereviews.com. Sorry to spam.

Even though the writing and acting are a bit flawed, Insidious is all about old-fashioned thrills and chills that are both scary as hell and exhilarating.

The first 45 minutes of this movie were absolutely phenominal...the camera angles, real instrument sound track, and storyline were well above average. However, once the little boy enters the show you can pack your bags and leave, the storyline crumbles, and there is less and less interest in the film, while the acting begins to slack. However, the tension in the film stays high, with a terrible ending.… Expand

This was definitely a good movie, but it could have been WAY scarier. At times, I didn't even feel the suspense that should have been built up to scare the audience. The ominous music did deliver during some scenes, but not all. All in all, It was a good attempt at a new and unique storyline. On a better note, the ending will not disappoint viewers.

Insidious is a brilliant horror film with some of the freakiest moments seen in recent cinema. The plot is a tad convoluted and occasionally makes the film seem cheap, yet this is par for the course when watching any sort of supernatural horror, such as this. Some of the scares are perfectly executed, specifically those found earlier in the film. The second half of the film does drag a little, yet this is only because the first half is so brilliant. In tone the film is similar to Drag Me To Hell, without quite as many laughs which are replaced with more outright scary moments. It was also highly refreshing to watch a horror film of recent times that does not require an intense level of gore to keep viewers gripped. Insidious is certainly one of the best horror films of the last decade.… Expand

I love this movie. this is the only movie that ever scared me soo much. Horror movies are my favorite types of movie they scare me soo much sometimes.

This movie was so amazing I was happy there was finally some good old fashioned monsters and demons. it did remind of poltergeist with the whole finding his kid in a different realm. it made me jump and was a nice change from all the other "scary" movies that have come out. it didnt take to long get to the point either considering im an impatient person. The opening credits for it made me think of the classics hitchock made i felt myself smiling throughout the whole thing… Expand

INSIDIOUS is a fun, scary and creepy haunted house flick that doesn't fail to scare and entertain. The atmosphere is great and it's scary moments are...well, scary. It's the scariest film I've seen in a while.

Insidious is the newest film from duo James Wan (director) and Leigh Whannell (writer/actor) who were made infamous by their first film, Saw. Except this time, instead of starting a sub-genre, they're paying homage to another: the Haunted House genre, which includes films such as The Amityville Horror and House on Haunted Hill. Now as much as I like campy little tribute pictures, like Brutal Massacre or Grindhouse, I usually don't consider them great movies. The reason? As fun as it is to revisit a genre that is otherwise dead and gone, these movies don't really bring anything new to the table. That being said, Insidious was a delightful surprise. It keeps its heart close to home with the classics, but is totally original in both its execution and plot. Now you may think you've seen this movie before - quick shots of people walking by doorways, turns out a brutal multiple-homicide took place there years before, blah blah blah - but I assure you, you're wrong. The film does have some aspects of familiarity to them, there's no denying that, but it also has a refreshing edge that most recent horror films don't have. One of these things is that Insidious EARNS its scares. Yes, it does have the quick shots of things appearing and disappearing, loud noises, and all that jazz, but it also has a shocking number of scenes that rely on build-up and legitimately creepy circumstances instead of the pop-out scares that we're all so familiar with. Unfortunately though, Insidious isn't consistent. For every brilliant scene that is beautifully done, there are at least 3-4 that either don't make a whole lot of sense or are the cheap pop-out style scares. Also, the big reveal into what's going on in this movie was good, but it also missed the mark slightly; other scenes were carried out a bit too long and got a bit too ridiculous. One can see where they were trying to go with it, but it just didn't come out that great. It is unfortunate that this movie wasn't better received; they came so close to being a notable force in the horror genre, which is so desperately needed right now in main stream cinema, and personally I think James and Leigh would fit the bill wonderfully because they have something that very few people don't: heart, and they've got a ton of it. Read the rest of the review at my film review site rocketcrossing.com and check us out on facebook at facebook.com/rocketcrossing… Expand

Its impossible to sit through this film and not jump. James Wan is a master of using silence in horror. And what really gets me about this is that demons are my biggest fear on the planet. The audience i saw this with was screaming throughout the film. The only thing that brings it down is the last quarter of the film. It was really realistic for the first 3 quarters before it went into fantasy land… Expand

In these environmentally conscious times, I can only applaud the production team for making the most of two unfinished movies and editing them together to be released as one. The first part of the film goes through all the standard horror elements that you've seen before with a few individual twists, where all of the three or four moments of scaring you rely on things jumping or running into frame. After that, where the second film takes over for the laughs, we have five solid minutes of exposition which I defy you to sit through with a straight face and say "oh so THAT'S what's going on!" You'll be pleased to know that Darth Maul gets reused in this film as one of the several bad guys who get thrown at you, and Insidious also has the best use of a WWII gas mask that I've ever seen in a modern comedy. And whoever the guy is in Hollywood who gets to push those kitchen drawers out, he gets another credit on his CV thanks to this one. Anyway, I'll be back in a second - I'm just off to astral project into the future to see the Jim Carrey remake. WoooOOOOooooOOOOOooOOOH!… Expand

I don't think it's the greatest horror movie ever done but for what it is, a horror film without gore and cheap visual effects, it wasn't bad. It had moments of "jump" terror and it played with the camera well. I don't think I would see it again but If you absolutely want to see a horror film in theaters, it works.

Insidious is a great film to see in the cinema, the atmosphere some scenes create keep you soo far on the edge of your seat that your practically sat on the person in fronts head!!! Saying this, i don't think the film will have the same effect when released on dvd. I am only rating the film with a 7 as I am a huge fan of both Paranormal Activity's and Saw movies. But I found that the main let down of Insidious was how far it strayed from both Paranormal Activity and Saw, the fact that it was filmed with crystal clear cameras and a lot of CGI, makes the fear we had from Paranormal Activity's CCTV footage and believable ghostly antics (paranormal activity) fade away. All in all the storyline started off well and then takes an outstanding DROP to a point where you think..... I actually think a 5 year old would have thought up a better ending!! (Soo predictable, everyone I know who has seen it said they knew the ending before it happened and so did I) Overall I think it is worth seeing if your in to your horror movies, but do not see it if you want something similar to Saw or Paranormal Activity, whatever you do, do not wait until the DVD is released as the cinema makes the scenes a hundred times better.… Expand

A breathtaking and harrowing descent down one of the scariest first halves in movies in the 21st century finally lets loose in its second act and turns midway into a documentary about astral projection. It has its moments of creep and moments of schlock, too but it is never failing in its attempts of horror trickery.

Ha! I don't think this was intended as a belly-laugh comedy, but the second half of the film had me doubled up.
First half is your by the numbers Paranormal Activity style disposable horror flick. Then it gets on to a scene where the 'woman who speaks to dead people' character starts to spell out what's actually going on. The male lead then spouts lines that were going through my head and acknowledges how ridiculous the plot is. I expected all the actors to agree with him and suddenly walk off set, but they carry on regardless and take the film on towards it's comedy final act.
1 point for the comedic value, but don't go out of your way to experience it for yourself. This is just a bad student film with a big budget.
Although on balance, I did watch this in the company of two other viewers and they found it genuinely terrifying. The only thing that spoiled it for them was my running commentary of sarcastic remarks...and laughter.… Expand

Ok first things first. This is not a 'serious' horror movie; it's suppose to be tongue-in-cheek and it has a really quirky atmosphere (and sometimes even silly). It starts off as a standard haunted house flick but then devolves into an increasingly ridiculous B-movie romp with demons chasing people, and ghosts appearing all over the show. It definitely struggles with consistency, and by the end you will be like seriously WTF!? BUT its quirkiness definitely plays into its strengths and it does manage to keep you watching till the end (just about). If you have a light heart and dont go into this thinking you're going to be scared out of your minds, then its worth the watch.… Expand

It had its moment of paranormal. Beside that it wasnt nothing to die for. You can go see, but it wouldnt really worth while. Ehhhh. The movie makes you scared but its nothing like the movies Paranormal Activity producers made in the beginning. (Paranormal Activity 1,2)

Insidious is a modern day portal of the Haunted House Movie. It's nothing we haven't seen before. Sprits linger around and everyone freaks out trying to save a young kid. It's really that simple. There are a few complex twists and turns but it's no wonder that the producer of Paranormal Activity would produce another film just like it. (Arn't the sequels enough to punish us with?) I will give credit where credit is due, but only where credit is due. Insidious did something that must horror films of today cannot, it made me jump. That's all it did though. For the first time sense The House of the Devil back in 2009 I felt scared watching a film. It surprised me at first and I was taken into the story line. However, the last forty minutes of this film were so random, out there and completely ridiculous that I could no longer enjoy the film. I sat through the last twenty minutes begging for it to just be over. James Wan the director of Saw has swam in the glory of the franchise ever since it launched his career in 2004, but after his last failed attempt with Dead Silence back in 2007 did any of us really expect anything more from James Wan with Insidious. Sure he successfully got Oren Peli to produce the film but after the success of Paranormal Activity this guy has been throwing himself at everything horror. The simple conclusion is that the names advertised with this film are a bunch of one hit wonders. The film was as cheesy as they come with a dumb down completely ridiculous story line. I could hardly even bare watching the last twenty minutes. However, for the first time in almost two years I was scared. It made me jump and if that's the only reason that you watch horror movies then this film is for you. That's all it's going to do though, it will just make you jump. Insidious is a film for the hardcore horror fans the love films like poltergeist. Everyone else this film is TRASH… Expand

The movie was great I had chills during most of the movie. It had a great ending to I never expected the what happen. The director did a good job on this movie.

LOVED THIS! For a modern day horror movie, this is as good as they get! Unique story and the best part is that it is a very "physical" interpretation of ghosts and spirits. You actually see them throughout the movie instead of the occasional moving curtain, bump in the night, etc. Loved the idea. The ending was a tiny bit disappointing, but still was a great movie overall. Oh and the song in the movie makes it so much creepier!!!… Expand

I think people are too busy acting all brave and hard when watching a horror movie that they can't possibly enjoy it. This movie was at least a very decent horror flick. The plot and ending were well constructed, and there were plenty of scary/creepy scenes. It had a lasting effect on me to the point that I was a bit uneasy at night, but that's about it. The entities found throughout the movie are a bit creepy, but I'd say that they're not really scary. Over all, this movie was good even though it stumbled throughout the first hour.… Expand

Amazing horror movie ! I can't remember the last time a movie scared the sh*t out of me. The third-person angle of the camera (similar to the game Resident Evil 4 & 5) puts you in a anything-can-happen perspective. This motion picture brings you something new and, mostly, something good in the horror genre. A genre who, I personally think, got over-abused and lost his essence.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i love this movie because everyone thought probably that it was a Haunted house but it was about Demon things and it was very Good :) And i want a second of this movie because it was so good :) it scared so much :)… Expand

Insidious is a brilliant film. The story is enjoyable to learn, the actors did a great performance for their characters and the scares work in this film. When i heard the saw & paranormal activity producers were working on the film i had mix feelings about the film before i saw it but i was very impressed of what ive seen. There were two or three scenes that made me jump and i usually dont jump in horror films so this did a great job. Plus this is also a very creepy film. I would give this film a full price.… Expand

This movie is a modern masterpiece. The first horror movie that has had this much of an effect on me in a long time. It has all the perfect elements to create a movie that will have you thinking about it when you are in the dark.

This movie was messed up and had some disturbing scenes. It was a good and I have heard of the plot of the movie happening before so it was easy to accept for me. It was entertaining to watch and I could watch it again.

I saw this in theaters and thought it was amazing. The story is original and their are some terrifying scenes. Recently though, I saw it on DVD and I have to say it's not that great. The story is great. It's original, but there are some major flaws. I couldn't understand the father's actions in the second act. The third act was probably the worst part. I liked the beginning of his trip to find his son, but he was asking to be caught by the ghosts. It didn't make any sense. I'd love to read the screenplay because I believe that it may have been better on paper. Problem is that I can't find it!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. por favor agan caso omiso de los detractores de esta gran pelicula de terror, en años , el cine americano no a tenido una pelicula de terror/horror que lo represente y adivinen que,.. insidious, la noche del demonio ( su nombre en español) lo es,.. no esta abarrotada con efectos especiales, su historia es envolvente desde un inicio, aunque debo aceptar, que se vuelve al estrepitosa para el final, las interpretaciones cumplen con su cometido, y la bien desarrollada narrativa solo te mantiene comiendote las uñas hasta el final. Pero lo que se lleva los aplausos son la vibra que el hambiente de la pelicula te transmite, una mezcla de los sustos clasicos de los 80 con lo nuevo del siglo 21, simplemente maravilloso, se los juro, el demonino con fuego en la cara es la criatura mas terrorifica que e visto en años, y eso gracias a que no se exedieron con tanto efecto estupido al que hollywood esta tan acostumbrado. El dream team del horro americano hizo un sublime trabajo, del cual me siento muy orgulloso. Esperen a que sean las 3 de la mañana, apaguen las lices, suban todo el volumen de su teatro en casa y disfruten de lo que puede ser el espectaculo de horror mas sabroso e ingenioso desde la primera parte del exorcista.… Expand

I got this movie with the hope of being scared out of my mind. I was actually scared to watch it after hearing the comments coming from my friends. But I manned up and watched it, alone, by myself. And honestly, I am not as scared as I thought I would be. Most of the parts were scary and made me close my eyes, but most important parts that were supposed to scare me didn't. And these were parts that could have been shot better. But all in all, it had an awesome storyline. Loved the ending (although it was a bit obvious - but definitely managed to shock me for a while) and for sure, this is a movie I would recommend to watch. :)… Expand

This movie was like a rollercoaster. It started off amazing, and just kept getting better and better. It was packed with suspense and kept you on the edge of your seat. Until... you saw the "monster" in this movie. after that, it began to go downhill incredibly fast. I mean, it just got stupid and cheesy after that. However, the ending was shocking and surprising and perhaps the best part of the movie. The movie was essentially good except it was quite rushed and the acting wasn't terrific. It didn't compare to some of the director's other movies such as Saw and Paranormal Activity.… Expand

Ne pas voir Insidious comme un film d'auteur, tellement le scénario n'est pas du tout à la hauteur, qui pioche sur bon nombre de ses "rivaux" (Paranormal Activity, L'Exorciste, Les Griffes de la Nuit entre autre...), à la fin grand-guignolesque, usant même d'une touche comique (l'arrivée d'un duo de ghostbusters...). C'est donc pour le côté épouvante qu'Insidious se montre très efficace (malgré les violons qui grincent sans arrêt), mis en scène avec savoir-faire pour créer une ambiance pesante et des séquences plutôt effrayantes. Et tout ça pour seulement 1,5 millions de dollars de budget! Loin d'être un modèle, mais suffisant pour les âmes sensibles. Vu le succès, attendez-vous à une suite!… Expand

The Amityville Horror Starring Darth Maul! by D Veeb (Aug 23, 2011)
This is the second time I've fallen victim to the line "scariest film since The Exorcist!" (the first was that awful piece of dreck "The Blair Witch Project") At any rate, this film would probably be entertaining to you if you're 13 years old and are talking or texting through the film as any notion of cohesive storytelling has clearly been put on the back burner in favor of standard issue horror film "gotcha" moments. In fact, this film is so cliche´ that I truly expected to see a pig coming through the bedroom window (Amityville Horror). The film has some startling moments, and a few somewhat decent visuals, but the script, acting, and directing are really sub-par. The kid clearly falls off the ladder and hits the back of his head. In the next scene, he's got a big shiner on his forehead above his eye! Gimme a break! And the music and sound effects were so over-the-top, hitting you over the head with "THIS IS SCARRY!" slams. Plus...the demon bears a striking resemblance to Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace! Really?!?! Do yourself a favor, skip this mess!… Expand

James Wanâ

Insidiouse was a great movie. Scarery as hell. Literelly. I was in the movie theater watching it with my dad and he even scremed like a girl. It was hillariouse. I love my dad. What the hell is up with how scarehy they made this movie? After you have seen it once though it is not as f-ing scarey. What the hell is up with that? Ok well I have to go.

I have seen lots of horror movies, and many scary ones. This movie is scary, but not mainly bu the theme as much. More by the random pop ups, that don't seem to fit in at the right time. They seem to appear out of nowhere and at bad points in the film. It doesn't have the best storyline ever, and the plot is a bit weak at parts. The movie seems to go off subject a lot too. However, it is a good movie. But not the best horror out there. Though it will scare you!… Expand

Insidious lacks the creepy feeling after the first half of the film and the big finish seems to be a bit predictable but it is still a very entertaining haunted house film that delivers fun and jumps. Insidious pushes those cliché horror films off the cliff.

INSIDIOUS is a fun, creepy, funny and entertaining ghost film that is way better than Paranormal Activity.

A surprisingly good haunted/possession movie. With how much generic crap is peddled out in this vein of cinema; I'm glad to see movies like this pop out every now and then. Would definitely recommend for a good scare!

The movie itself is okay, but I give it credit for managing to get me scared, however seeing the main villain leaves me to believe to lack of creativity it has; Mixing Darth Maul and Freddy Kruger seems oddly not scary to me.

this film is amazing, it was so scary i papped my self all the way through with scenes that were so smart and not only did it show scary scenes at night but also in daylight which i don't normally see in horror films was scared me even more. you don't know how it's going to end with a man entering some weird place where the devil lives. one of the most scary films i have ever seen. 9/10

Directed by a gifted director, Wan gives us an instant classic of modern horror! I am great fun of horror movies and i really loved this one! This movie has a great atmosphere and it will keep you on the edge.

The ghosts in "Insidious" are not the "Paranormal Activity" kind where you rarely ever see them. These ghosts definitely make their presences known by running through hallways and wearing really creepy costumes. They're like a combination between the ghosts in "Carnival of Souls" and "The Shining." Because of this, "Insidious" might not be for everyone. But if you dig old-school horror films, you're in for a treat. James Wan takes his haunted house style of horror and runs with it. His film never lets up on movie atmospherics, and at times, it is truly terrifying. But with that said, the movie does get a little too hokey at times, and the characters aren't all that compelling aside from Lin Shaye as the psychic. But if you want to see a horror film that offers something different, check out "Insidious". Whether you laugh the whole time or you're scare straight from it; "Insidious" delivers the goods.… Expand

This is a weird movie, that jumps quickly between boring, mildly interesting, and ridiculously stupid. It's good for a couple of good scares in the beginning, but the movie quickly deteriorates from there. The big slogan was, it's not the house that's haunted, and it was compared to the exorcist, both couldn't be further from the truth. Without going into details, the story is just stupid. The special effects are laughable, and the acting is so-so. The kid, newcomer Ty Simpkins, was mildly entertaining and did do a nice job. The parents weren't too bad either, but the rest of the cast were just terrible, a perfect fit for a movie that is pure If it wasn't for a couple of scares and the fact that I was laughing at how stupid some of the parts were, this movie would have gotten zero. It's a complete and utter waste of time.… Expand

As far as horror movies go recently, Insidious is top notch. It is the only movie to make me jump and give me chills in years. The chills came the first time i saw it in theaters during the scene when the red demon face shows up behind the husband, HOLY SH*T! In these times of three Paranormal Activity's that didn't scare one ounce of me, Insidious is a very effective horror film.

I loved it! I am usually a harsh judge and I profoundly dislike cheesy horror movies, neither do I enjoy too much-unnecessary- gore, abuse of special effects, or/and bad performances. Here, however, I found all the ingredients needed for a movie to be considered -in my opinion- outstanding. There were indeed, many ghosts, but their presence was used smartly. The only flaw I find is the part of 'comedy' they introduced when the two ghostbusters first appeared in scene. The initial interactions of those two characters were silly; henceforth, their performances felt fake. In fact, It sort of changed the feeling of the movie, they just didn't fit there. Fortunately, the movie quickly recovered its obscure nature, and went back to its initial pace; this allowed the actors who played the ghostbusters to improve their performances. Still, is precisely that randomness what stops me from giving to this film a score of 10 - but, it is arguably a solid 9. I wish the director didn't make that mistake, so we would have had a formidable movie. Just want to add that to me, the ending was magnificent, however; I acknowledge that as some have already pointed out, it raises a few questions...which I would like to see answered in an Insidious 2 movie. Yet, I sort of like the fact that the 'happy ending' was not quite there, I mean clear. Overall, this is one of the best horror movies I have watched even though it is not overly scary. Still, I adore it..and I am going to buy the dvd for sure! What is the secret of this film? It has a clever plot, good performances and the movie as a whole has style! Watch it! Do not let the score or negative comments found here to stop you from doing that! I know if you see this movie you won't regret it! Don't let other people's negativism to influence you negatively for you are the one who has to decide!..without bias!… Expand

Insidious is an excellent horror film for two reasons. One, the film has no blood or gore (which is typical of Wan's Saw films). Two, by employing the classic haunted house tale, its able to give the film a whole new twist when it throws a monkey wrench into the story.

"Insidious" is a horror movie about an average family haunted with supernatural forces that possess a natural tendency to open lots of doors and make funny noises. Most fans of this subgenre will praise it not because it is an excellent film, but because the ones that came before it are infinitely much worse. Have you seen "The Haunting in Connecticut"?

The unlucky family in this horror film is the five members of the Lambert family. Each of them is terrorized by a mysterious creature, but most unlucky is young Dalton, who is in a deep sleep and would not wake up. A doctor says that he isn't in a coma. A psychic claims that his spiritual body is trapped in another dimension she likes to call, The Further. Dalton's parents, Josh and Renai, are, to say the least, confused. Whether any of these explanations makes sense or not is not a major concern, because the story mainly serves as an opening to provide scares.

"Insidious" is conscious of the genre's obvious clichés, but it avoids some of them by conforming to an unhelpful, alternative idea that is soon to be a cliché itself. Characters living in haunted houses are often so traumatized by the ghouls that they forget about the possible action of, you know, leaving the house. The Lambert family makes the practical decision of abandoning their home early on in the film, only to have their efforts thwarted when they are told that it's not the house that's haunted, but their son. "Oooooooo". So, instead of one haunted house, we get two haunted houses.

Read more here: http://localmoviereview.com/insidious-movie-review/… Expand

This is the worst horror movie in a very long time. Just by watching the first 5 minutes, the whole plot becomes clear and nothing is a surprise. The movie was like a PG-13 episode of Scooby-Doo. All the moments where demons came at you were completely expected with no surprise of any kind. This s not even worth your time, this is not even worth a days renal. Even if you find if at the library, don't get it. Trust me, if you have to pick between Insidious, and Barney's Halloween party, pick Barney.… Expand

Definitely a mixed bag.There are things in this movie that make me wonder if it's a serious attempt at a horror film or a parody of the genre. Either way it's enjoyable just to see where it goes next and I promise that as you start the movie, you would never guess the territory it goes into toward the end. XD

Probably one of the scariest movies of all times. I had nightmares for weeks after watching this one. The imagery in Insidious is so unforgettable that it will stick with you for a very, very long time.

This movie scared the absolute **** out of me. It was so bad that I had to turn on the lights at some points through out the movie. I had goosebumps so bad that the hair on my arms would stand up and wouldn't go back down until the movie was over. Ghosts freak me out and if they freak you out also I recommend this movie to you.

Genuinely frightening film that really scared me. I've become desensitized to horror films, so I was shocked at how scary Insidious really is. Eerie, well acted, directed and written. A winner of a ghost story!

Overall, I thought this film was okay. I'm a fan of Rose Byrne, I think she's a hugely underrated actress and so I had high hopes for this film, but I was a little disappointed. Horror is my favourite and most watched genre and as such I didn't think that this film really offered up anything new. Firstly the good. Elements of this film were undoubtedly creepy. Certain aspects of the storyline were chilling and the overall concept was, I thought, quite original. In other words, it wasn't your typical 'haunted house' story where things go bump and people scream (but never seem to move house....), so for that I was grateful. Also, I think what ruins a lot of horror films is when someone does something that makes you think 'Well I wouldn't have done that' (like walking into a scary room without looking for a light, no one in the history of mankind has ever done that...) because that disconnects you from the action and makes you sit there with a slightly unimpressed look on your face at how stupid the person on screen seems to be. But this film didn't really have any of those moments, they all seemed to be fairly rational, sensible people making fairly rational, sensible decisions. That made the whole story better for me. !However! There came a point where that was no longer the case. What started off as a genuinely uncomfortable and creepy film turned into what I thought was a bit like a Michael Jackson 'Thriller' video out-take. I went from, 'well there goes any hope of me sleeping for the next ten years', to '....did that really just happen (insert appropriate unimpressed face here)' in the space of about 30 minutes. I felt like the plot got too ahead of itself and everyone went a bit CGI crazy. Elements were still scary, but I felt like the film started to rely too much on jump scares than actual, real terror moments. Anyone would jump if you made a loud noise and shoved a scary picture in their face, to me that isn't the same and just produces moments that are totally forgettable. So on the whole, I thought this film was okay. Parts were original, well thought out and outright creepy but the direction that the film went in let it down completely. A great film if you're with a friend and want to have a few scares but nothing I can see being remembered any time in the near future.… Expand

Insidious seems as if it was split into two parts, each with a completely different director. Whilst the first half of the film builds up tension skillfully, providing a handfull of unsettling moments, the film is let down by a weak second half. What could have been a memorable horror experience dissolves into a bitter mix of jumpscares, action and rediculousness. Although the atmosphere remains impressive throughout.… Expand

A devilish little haunted house film that it most frightening when there is nothing scary happening. The first hour of Insidious is bone chilling and though the plot is preposterous, it still slithers under your skin and spins around in your head until you just loose your **** and fall helplessly into its grasps.

It is probably one of the few movies that really go into the depths of ghost haunting and the reasons why it occurs. I actually believed that it might be the first horror movie with a happy ending. Besides, the original story, the sound effects and the apparitions will try to make you jump off the seat more than one time.

I loved every minute of it although the lipstick-face demon was totally unrealistic but that just made the film funny. This film has been put in the genre Horror but in all honesty this film is hilarious; usually if a horror film is funny it makes it completely rubbish but Leigh Whannell (who also wrote saw) scripted this film very well and used a lot of talented actors (including himself), this film is intriguing and maintains my attention throughout but the one thing this film lacks is the jump factor as I didn't jump once, I would recommend this film to anyone over the age of 11, I think that any 13 year old or older will like this film as I was 13 when I watched it and I loved it.… Expand

Loved it, an excellent piece of film-making. One of the best horror films I've seen in recent years, even for a film that's only PG-13 (don't let that fool you).

This movie is truly scary as sh*t. I am not a horror film buff at all, just a casual watcher. The film uses sudden loud noises to make you truly scream OH SH*T. There are a variety of pop-ups accompanied by loud noises that really freak you out. Usually you know it's coming by the tension build up and suspense, but a casual viewer will still be scared. Great film to watch with friends, but I can't say I would dare to watch it alone, in the dark.… Expand

I had a good time watching it, but it wasn't too scary. I watched it in the dark on my own and only jumped slightly at one jump scare. It also got a bit slow at parts, but other than that, it was a fun watch.

I have never seen a movie as creepy, freaky, and unnerving as this one. It is without a doubt one of the best ghost movies in existence. After I first watched it, I couldn't sleep very well for days. Do not under any
circumstances let any child under the age of 12 see it or he/she will be scarred for life. I know I was.

Oh boy when I first saw a preview the one that kept going "Insidious Is" I was like interesting definintly looks better then many many many horror movies. Then I saw another one that went "From the creators of Paranormal Activity and Saw". Thats my reaction I was like "This better not have a bunch of random trash happening or uneseccary things happening". That quickly changed I watched it thinking "This was creepy and scary (even though I was scared but my girlfriend surly was) and I didn't see a drop of blood" This was a good story. Now this is much better then the so-called American Horror Classic "Psycho". This INSIDIOUS should be the number one horror movie. If you think you can handle it watch it.… Expand

Great suspense at the beginning, a generally good plot. However certain characteristics of the evil person make it less creepy. However it kept me hiding behind my duvet for certain areas.